Early this morning, federal agents arrested a Morrow County man, identifying him as James Travis Scurlock, age 44, from Cardington. He's been charged with the tall order of pulling off not one, but two armed bank heists. These charges are heavyweight, folks – we're talking bank robbery coupled with the use of a firearm in a crime of violence.
The heists in question went down near Polaris Mall, with both strikes targeting the same financial institution. The affidavit, per a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio, claims Scurlock executed both robberies garbed in a black sweatshirt, jeans, white Nike shoes, black gloves, and a not-so-inconspicuous white camouflage mask. It seems he also had a penchant for asking questions about bank accounts before revealing his true motive to quickly change from customer to crook.
The March 6 episode played out with Scurlock's initial pose as a prospective account holder, only to pull a gun on the teller when ID was requested. He made off with approximately $13,700, which is no small chunk of change. Come May 16, he reportedly upped the ante, drawing his handgun on a teller and then proceeding to help himself to the drawers and the vault, bulking up his illicit haul to about $27,700.
Today, Scurlock found himself in federal court, where the seals of his case were broken for all to see. And the stakes are sky-high here: we're looking at a possible 20 years of hard time for the bank robbery, and a minimum of five years that could stretch to a life sentence for brandishing a firearm during these serious offenses, as detailed by the same press release.
This case is now in the hands of Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton, who's no doubt prepping to present the government's case against Scurlock. It's important to remember, though, despite the heavy charges, a criminal complaint is just that – allegations. Scurlock remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, as the rules of the game dictate. Stay with us for updates as they emerge on this high-stakes bank robbery case.
